Integral casket handle and base with concealed hinge

ABSTRACT

A casket handle integrally connected to a base by means of a concealed hinge. A flexible wall having laterally extending grooves on either side of the wall is integrally connected to a base securable to a casket. The flexible wall is also integrally connected to a second wall having arms and a carrying bar integrally attached thereto. A curved lip extends outward and downward from the base cooperatively with the second wall concealing the flexible wall when the carrying bar and arm are pivoted forward of the base.

United States Patent 1191 Johnson 111 3,823,447 1451 July 16,1974

[ INTEGRALCASKET HANDLE AND BASE WITH CONCEALED HINGE [76] Inventor: Bennie R. Johnson, R. R. 3,

Connersville, lnd. 47331 [22] Filed: May 11, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 252,365

Related US. Application Data [62] Division of Ser. No. 102,611, Dec. 30, 1970, Pat. No.

7/1937 Smith 27/35 3,295,179 Behrendt 27/35 3,382,526 5/1968 Ryan 16/110 R 3,481,501 12/1969 Anderson 220/94 A 3,657,764 4/1972 Relly 27/2 Primary Examiner-Richard A. Gaudet Assistant Examiner-G. F. Dunne Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Woodard, Weikart, Emhardt & Nau'ghton 57 ABSTRACT A casket handle integrally connected to a base by means of a concealed hinge. A flexible wall having laterally extending grooves on either side of the wall is integrally connected to a base securable to a casket. The flexible wall is also integrally connected to a second wall having armsand a carrying bar integrally attached thereto. A curved lip extends outward and downward from the base cooperatively with the second wall concealing the flexible wall when the carrying bar and arm are pivoted forward of the base.

8 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures INTEGRAL CASKET HANDLE AND BASE wITII CONCEALED HINGE This is a division of application Ser. No. 102,611, filed Dec. 30, 1970, now US. Pat. No. 3,698,037.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention is in the field of handles.

2. Description of the Prior Art A large number of handles have been devised for attachment to caskets. The prior art casket handles have a first piece securable to the casket and a second piece shaped in the form of a handle and connectable to the first piece. In order to reduce the cost of these handles, it is desirable that these casket handles be produced DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED I EMBODIMENT For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawing and specific language will be used to describe the same. It

. will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of from plastic materials in lieu of metal and also for the entire casket handle and base to be molded in one integral piece. The invention disclosed herein utilizes a flexible wall for integrally and hingedly connecting the handle portion to the base portion.

It is desirable to conceal the hinge means of the easket handle. Thus, a curved lip is provided on the casket handle disclosed herein for concealing the hinge means. The resulting casket handle provides a pleasing appearance as well as a very useful and low-cost handle. An additional advantage of this casket handle is that it may be shipped from the manufacturer to a location for attachment to a casket without any chance that the handle portion will be separated from the base portion. I I

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One embodiment of the present invention is a casket handle hinge comprising a base member having a back surface, an arm having a top and bottom end and a flexible webintegrally connected to the base member and to the arm between the top and the bottom end.

Another embodiment of the present invention is a casket handle hinge comprising a base member, first and second arms having bottom ends, a first wall integrally connecting the first arm to the second arm in spaced relationship, and a second wall integrally connecting the first wall to the member and having a laterally extending necked down portion with the second wall being flexible at the necked down portion and normally biasing the bottom ends behind the base member.

A third embodiment of the present invention is a combination ofa casket having a side wall, a base member secured to the casket wall, a handle connected to the base member. and a flexible wall integrally and hingedly connecting the handle to the base member and biasing the handle against the side wall.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a casket handle and base hingedly and integrally connected together.

It is an additional object of the present invention to provide such a casket handle which has a concealed and integral hinge.

Related objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a casket handle incorporating the present invention with the carrying bar shown in the lifting position.

Arms 12 and 13 are in'spaced relationship and have bottom ends 17 attached to carrying bar 14. Both ends of bar 14 are capped by knobs 15. Holes 16 are provided in base 11 for receiving fastening devices for securing the base to a casket side wall40 as shown in FIG. 2. The drawings show a pair of arms with carrying bar 14 extending through the bottom arm ends; how- 7 ever; the present invention includes a casket handle having a single arm and also includes a casket handle having a number of arms greater than two. Carrying bar l4 and knobs 15 may be separate pieces from the arm or may beintegrally formed with the arm.

The casket handle shown in the drawings may be made from a plastic material and as a result may be irijection molded into one integral piece. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3 and viewed in the direction of the arrows illustrating the normal position of the arms and carrying bar with respect to the base 11 prior to attachment to a casket side wall. Carrying bar 14 is normally positioned on the back side 31 of base 11 prior to attachment of the base onto the casket side wall. The carrying bar and arms are pivotable in the direction of arrow 36 from the back position 33 to the vertical position 34 and further to the lifting position 35 (FIG. 2). In the normal unbiased position, the arms and carrying bar remain in back position 33. As a result, when the base is attached to a casket, the arms and carrying bar will normally abut the casket wall in verticalposition 34 as partially shown by the dashed line illustration of FIG. 4. Thus, when the carrying bar and handle are pivoted to the lifting position as shown in FIG. 2 and then released, the arms and carrying bar will pivot back to the vertical position abutting the casket side wall. A flexible hinge web 28 integrally connects the arms to the base. The arms are spaced apart and integrally connected by wall 19 which extends across the top ends 18 of the arms. Web 28 (FIG. 4) is integrally joined to wall 19 at location 41.

I Web 28 extends the length of wall 19 and has a laterally extending groove 30 positioned on its front surface. A second laterally extending groove 29 is formed on the back surface of web 28, and is of larger radius and depth than groove 30. The resulting laterally extending necked down portion of web 28 between grooves 29 and 30 provides a flexible wall for hingedly connecting wall 19 to base 11.

Base 11 has a wall 20 (FIGS. 3 and 4) with an outer surface 21 upon which may be impressed a suitable decorative design. Wall 20 is integrally connected to wall 37 which extends partially along the back of base 11. A curved lip 22 extends outwardand downward from wall 37 and is integrally joined to wall 20. The front surface 38 of wall 37 provides a stopping surface for abutting against surface 39 of wall 19 when the arms and carrying bar are pivoted to the lifting position 35 as shown in FIG. 2. When in the lifting position 35, groove 30 is concealed by wall 19 and curved lip 22. Lip 22 is spaced sufficiently from groove 30 so as to avoid interference between curved surface 25 (FIG. 4) and the top end of the arms and wall 19 as the arms are pivoted. Recess 27 extends from leg 23 to leg 24 which are integrally attached to the base and sufficiently spaced apart so as to allow the arms and wall 19 to pivot therein.

It will be evident from the above description that the present invention provides a casket handle having a base portion and handle portion integrally connected together by means of a flexible wall. It will also be evident from the above description that the invention provides a casket handle which also conceals the hinge means when the handle is in the lifting position. For example, when surfaces 38 and 39 (FIG. 4) abut, groove is closed and concealed with the bottom ends of the arms being positioned in front of base 11. The curved lip 22 together with wall 19 cooperatively conceal groove 30. The depth of grooves 29 and 30 will vary depending upon the particular casket handle to be produced; however, excellent results have been obtained when the necked down portion between grooves 29 and 30 is approximately one-half the thickness of web 28 at the junction of the web and wall 37.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiment has been shown and de scribed and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected.

The invention claimed is:

1. In the combination of a casket having a side wall, a base member secured to said casket wall, said base member including an outwardly and downwardly projecting lip, a handle connected to said member wherein the improvement comprises a flexible wall hingedly connecting said handle to said base member and biasing said handle against said side wall, said flexible wall being integrally connected to said handle and integrally connected to said base member, said flexible wall with said handle and said base member being of one piece construction, said handle having a top end and a bottom end with said flexible wall being attached between said top end and said bottom end, said handle is pivotable about said flexible wall to a lifting position whereat said top end of said handle abuts said base member above said flexible wall and said lip and said handle conceal said flexible wall with said handle therebelow.

2. In the combination of claim 1 wherein said casket has a second side wall, and further comprising:

a second base member secured to said second side wall;

a second handle connected to said second base member; and,

a second flexible wall integrally and hingedly connecting said second handle to said second base member and biasing said second handle against said second side wall.

3. In the combination of claim 1 wherein said handle comprises a carrying bar and an arm connecting said carrying bar to said flexible wall.

4. In the combination of a casket handle and a casket wherein said casket handle includes a base member having a back surface, and an arm having a top and bottom end, said base member is mounted to said casket with said back surface in abutting relation to said casket, wherein the improvement comprises:

a flexible web integrally connected to said base member and to said arm between said top and bottom end, said web with said base member and said arm being of one piece construction, said web normally forces said bottom end of said arm against said casket, said arm is pivotable about said flexible web to a lifting position whereat said top end of said arm abuts said base member above said web and conceals said web with said bottom end therebelow.

5. In the combination of claim 4 wherein said base member has a front surface including a lip extending therefrom which conceals said flexible web.

6. In the combination of claim 4 wherein said base member has a front surface which includes a stopping surface for the top end of said arm.

7. In the combination of claim 4 wherein said arm is integrally connected to a carrying bar.

8. in the combination of claim 4 wherein said flexible web, said base member and said arm are all one plastic piece. 

1. In the combination of a casket having a side wall, a base member secured to said casket wall, said base member including an outwardly and downwardly projecting lip, a handle connected to said member wherein the improvement comprises a flexible wall hingedly connecting said handle to said base member and biasing said handle against said side wall, said flexible wall being integrally connected to said handle and integrally connected to said base member, said flexible wall with said handle and said base member being of one piece construction, said handle having a top end and a bottom end with said flexible wall being attached between said top end and said bottom end, said handle is pivotable about said flexible wall to a lifting position whereat said top end of said handle abuts said base member above said flexible wall and said lip and said handle conceal said flexible wall with said handle therebelow.
 2. In the combination of claim 1 wherein said casket has a second side wall, and further comprising: a second base member secured to said second side wall; a second handle connected to said second base member; and, a second flexible wall integrally and hingedly connecting said second handle to said second base member and biasing said second handle against said second side wall.
 3. In the combination of claim 1 wherein said handle comprises a carrying bar and an arm connecting said carrying bar to said flexible wall.
 4. In the combination of a casket handle and a casket wherein said casket handle includes a base member having a back surface, and an arm having a top and bottom end, said base member is mounted to said casket with said back surface in abutting relation to said casket, wherein the improvement comprises: a flexible web integrally connected to said base member and to said arm between said top and bottom end, said web with said base member and said arm being of one piecE construction, said web normally forces said bottom end of said arm against said casket, said arm is pivotable about said flexible web to a lifting position whereat said top end of said arm abuts said base member above said web and conceals said web with said bottom end therebelow.
 5. In the combination of claim 4 wherein said base member has a front surface including a lip extending therefrom which conceals said flexible web.
 6. In the combination of claim 4 wherein said base member has a front surface which includes a stopping surface for the top end of said arm.
 7. In the combination of claim 4 wherein said arm is integrally connected to a carrying bar.
 8. In the combination of claim 4 wherein said flexible web, said base member and said arm are all one plastic piece. 